2018 Releases

[David Weller]

One thing Pocket might conceivably do is to reprint older novels. When the Kelvin-timeline novels we did were cancelled in 2010, it left a 4-month gap in the schedule, and Pocket filled one of the vacant slots with a reprint of Nightshade, an old TNG novel written by Laurell K. Hamilton before she became hugely successful with her original fiction. I'm not sure there are other authors whose names would sell reprint books in that way, but there might be other ways of selecting older books to reprint. Maybe books that have some vague connection to Discovery's characters and time frame could be reprinted -- say, Sarek, Vulcan's Forge, The Final Reflection, things along those lines. But I'm just speculating, of course.

Well, if they do, I hope they label them as reprints prominently.

I was browsing Amazon and saw that Nightshade was tagged as having a 2010 publication date.

I assumed that this was a post-Nemesis novel and purchased it as I’m currently working my way through the post-Nemesis/relaunch novels for the 24th century series.

It was only after I received it that I noticed it had a 1990s copyright date and realised it was a reprint.

 

[David cgc]

Well, if they do, I hope they label them as reprints prominently.

Normally, they do. For the fortieth anniversary, they did reprints of a few old novels ("The Entropy Effect," "Federation," and "Strangers From the Sky," IIRC), and they've done it before, as well, and there's usually a little flag noting "Classic novel at a classic price" or something to that effect. I'm not sure why, but the reprints are sold at the original cover price rather than whatever is standard for an MMPB nowadays.

 

[JD]

So OK the next Discovery novel isn't a really new one either, well that just means perhaps unless there's an announcement soon, and I truly hope there is, there might be NO actual new Star Trek novels in 2018 unless maybe later in the year (though the average reader might not know the DSC & VOY novels aren't from a new contract which could be a positive), so that seems an even worse imagined scenario. (Though guess producing a Gallery trade novel might not take a year, those seem to get done quicker.) Even so, with all the reasons cited, having no really new announced Trek novels for a year IS unusual. And all the explanations cited for that occurrence don't change what appears not to be happening, yet.

You're almost making this sound like they did it on purpose, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case. It seems to me that it was just a bunch of badly times events that ended up leading to the negotiations taking longer than expected.

Well, if they do, I hope they label them as reprints prominently.

I was browsing Amazon and saw that Nightshade was tagged as having a 2010 publication date.

I assumed that this was a post-Nemesis novel and purchased it as I’m currently working my way through the post-Nemesis/relaunch novels for the 24th century series.

The fact that it had series era Worf and Deanna on the cover didn't give away the fact it was not post-Nemesis? Even if it wasn't clear it was a reprint, I would think that have at least been enough to indicate it was a TV series era story.

 

[Stevil2001]

One thing Pocket might conceivably do is to reprint older novels. When the Kelvin-timeline novels we did were cancelled in 2010, it left a 4-month gap in the schedule, and Pocket filled one of the vacant slots with a reprint of Nightshade, an old TNG novel written by Laurell K. Hamilton before she became hugely successful with her original fiction. I'm not sure there are other authors whose names would sell reprint books in that way, but there might be other ways of selecting older books to reprint. Maybe books that have some vague connection to Discovery's characters and time frame could be reprinted -- say, Sarek, Vulcan's Forge, The Final Reflection, things along those lines. But I'm just speculating, of course.

Now I'm envisioning a series of reprints of old novels with new actors on the covers. Mudd in Your Eye with Rainn Wilson, Sarek with Ben Cross or Jaimes Frain, Burning Dreams with Bruce Greenwood, Inception with Alice Eve, Final Frontier with Chris Hemsworth. And The Final Reflection with T'Kuvma.

 

[Alwaystrekkin]

Meanwhile, posting that possibly having no really new Trek novels for perhaps a year is unusual hardly ascribes nefarious type motives to TPTB in charge of getting a contract done to alleviate the situation. Since it would seem to be the job of those handling the negotiations to finish the process, one could hope they'd do so in a timely enough manner so that there wouldn't be a lengthy period of no new product. Here's hoping at least there's been some planning being allowed on the Trek editorial side.

 

[David Weller]

The fact that it had series era Worf and Deanna on the cover didn't give away the fact it was not post-Nemesis? Even if it wasn't clear it was a reprint, I would think that have at least been enough to indicate it was a TV series era story.

I was obviously not paying close enough attention.

 

[Christopher]

Since it would seem to be the job of those handling the negotiations to finish the process, one could hope they'd do so in a timely enough manner so that there wouldn't be a lengthy period of no new product.

I think it's already too late for that. At this point, we just have to expect a gap in new releases.

 

[Damian]

Yeah, I believe most of the authors have said they don't write a book without a contract in place, which makes sense. You're not going to spend weeks (or months, I'm not even sure how long it takes though I imagine it can vary) with no contract and cross their fingers that the publisher will buy it.

So you figure even once all the legalities are completed, even if Pocketbooks puts a rush to try to get books on the shelves ASAP, I think we're probably looking at least until late 2018. It sounds like at this point there isn't even any preliminary outlines or anything, that basically there is nothing, except whatever ideas the authors might have in their heads about where they'd like to go next when the time comes.

 

[Alwaystrekkin]

I think it's already too late for that. At this point, we just have to expect a gap in new releases.

Well exactly, this new contract process which before seemed to go smoothly enough perhaps hasn't this year, and yes there have been added wrinkles (Discovery, new leadership, getting rights to ST09 Prime events, etc.), but professionals in a competitive business are involved, and whatever their actions the 2018 Trek publication results ends up limited. Less product, less consumer purchases, less profits (?).

 

[David Weller]

To amplify something I said earlier.

I’m assuming that Pocket intended to publish twelve MMPBs in 2017 and contracted authors to provide those.

After the Titan novel is published it will be the ninth 2017 MMPB.

That would leave three unpublished.

One, of course, is the much delayed Voyager novel.

Maybe, just maybe, there are two completed and unannounced novels sitting in Pocket’s offices that could be scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2018 assuming that the contract is signed shortly.

Or am I being overly optimistic?

 

[Damian]

To amplify something I said earlier.

I’m assuming that Pocket intended to publish twelve MMPBs in 2017 and contracted authors to provide those.

After the Titan novel is published it will be the ninth 2017 MMPB.

That would leave three unpublished.

One, of course, is the much delayed Voyager novel.

Maybe, just maybe, there are two completed and unannounced novels sitting in Pocket’s offices that could be scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2018 assuming that the contract is signed shortly.

Or am I being overly optimistic?

I don't think there's anything else. There are actually 2 Voyager books waiting to be published. The one coming out in "Architects of Infinity" coming out in March it appears, the a later one called "To Lose the Earth." There is little information about that one. So that would take care of 2 of the 3 missing books if both were originally intended for 2017. And don't forget the books come out the last week of the month prior to their official release, so the new Titan novel coming out at the end of this month actually counts for December so that takes care of the final book.

 

[Christopher]

Maybe, just maybe, there are two completed and unannounced novels sitting in Pocket’s offices that could be scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2018 assuming that the contract is signed shortly.

Or am I being overly optimistic?

Doesn't work that way. They would've been announced relatively soon after the contracts were signed and the outlines approved, which would've been before the manuscripts were completed. After all, the publisher would need to let retailers know the book was coming so they could preorder it. So the idea of a completed and unannounced novel just sitting there doesn't make any sense.

And as we've pointed out before, the lack of a license for new novels would not in any way prevent or freeze the release of novels that were commissioned under the old license. That's why there are still novels coming out at all, when the old license expired nearly a year ago. That's why Bantam was able to keep releasing Trek novels through 1981 even though it lost the license to Pocket in 1979. In this business, there's a lot of lag time between cause and effect.

 

[DimesDan]

Yeah, until there is an announcement regarding the novel line all discussion here is pretty repetitive.

Either Pocket will continue or it will not continue, and I'm pretty certain how often the same infos and arguments are exchanged here will have about zero influence on that ...

Exactly.

Maybe the deal has been made, but all the t's need to be dotted and i's crossed before any formal announcement can be made.

As no one here works in the corporate side of things regarding the books, it's all just pure imagination speculation till that something is announced.

 

[David Weller]

I don't think there's anything else. There are actually 2 Voyager books waiting to be published. The one coming out in "Architects of Infinity" coming out in March it appears, the a later one called "To Lose the Earth." There is little information about that one. So that would take care of 2 of the 3 missing books if both were originally intended for 2017. And don't forget the books come out the last week of the month prior to their official release, so the new Titan novel coming out at the end of this month actually counts for December so that takes care of the final book.

From what I’ve read on various sites ‘To Lose the Earth’ has always been listed as a 2018 title but why would Pocket schedule a novel for 2018 when the license would have expired.

So assuming ‘To Lose the Earth’ was planned for 2017 that would make eleven titles.

‘Architects of Infinity’ was rescheduled to August so I guess that all the other planned novels would be pushed back by a month with the Titan novel originally being the November title.

Therefore, there could still be one unannounced title.

Edit: In light of Christopher’s comments above which he posted whilst I was writing this is post.

I admit I have no idea how the publishing industry works. I was just basing my speculation on the numbers.

 

[trampledamage]

Exactly.

Maybe the deal has been made, but all the t's need to be dotted and i's crossed before any formal announcement can be made.

As no one here works in the corporate side of things regarding the books, it's all just pure imagination speculation till that something is announced.

Yes, but until something is announced, imagination and speculation is all we have regarding 2018

 

[Christopher]

From what I’ve read on various sites ‘To Lose the Earth’ has always been listed as a 2018 title but why would Pocket schedule a novel for 2018 when the license would have expired.

Your edit shows that you realize it doesn't work this way, but just to clarify: A license is not permission to publish a book on a certain date, it's permission to contract books for future publication, regardless of when that publication happens. The expiration of the license only meant that Pocket couldn't commission more books beyond what was already contracted, not until the new license was finalized.

Creating a book takes a long time. Typically, Pocket begins planning out its Trek schedule for one year in the early months of the previous year -- e.g. the plans for the entirety of 2017, perhaps bleeding over into 2018, would've been made early in 2016, or maybe even mid- to late 2015. Heck, I first pitched The Face of the Unknown to Margaret Clark in December 2014, but I was barely on time to squeak in at the end of the already-full 50th anniversary schedule for 2016, and technically mine was the January 2017 book (since a publication year runs Feb-Jan).

 

[trampledamage]

I'd also like to thank Christopher, Dayton Ward and anyone else who knows how the Trek publishing world works and has answered questions on this thread, for their patience

 

[Damian]

Yes, but until something is announced, imagination and speculation is all we have regarding 2018

Absolutely. And we have gotten some information from the authors, who know more about how the process works then any of us. Whereas before I came on board here I was wondering if S&S's involvement maybe was coming to an end with Star Trek, I learned here that was not the case. The gist I get is there will be future Star Trek books, that the stories will continue. It's really just a matter of when. I guess some of us may dwell on things a bit too much, but I think you'd find that's the case on any board out there on any subject. I'm guilty of that myself. I'm disappointed that 2018 will be a little light on books, but I do still have unread novels from the past that I still have yet to get to. So I've got plenty to keep me busy. Plus one can always re-read a favorite from the past. I know I can't possibly remember every detail of every book I've ever read so in some cases it may be like reading it again for the first time.

 

[tomswift2002]

As I’ve pointed out in the past, S&S could always reprint the books that have been e-book only releases as new physical books to have on store shelves, as in a way, those have never seen release in a store.

 

[The Wormhole]

To amplify something I said earlier.

I’m assuming that Pocket intended to publish twelve MMPBs in 2017 and contracted authors to provide those.

After the Titan novel is published it will be the ninth 2017 MMPB.

That would leave three unpublished.

One, of course, is the much delayed Voyager novel.

Maybe, just maybe, there are two completed and unannounced novels sitting in Pocket’s offices that could be scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2018 assuming that the contract is signed shortly.

Or am I being overly optimistic?

Pocket hasn't always published twelve new novels a year. Just looking over this decade alone, there was no new novel scheduled for January 2010, March 2011, or January 2012. The difference is those months had reprints fill the MMPB slot, whereas this year we're just getting nothing on the gap months.

don't think there's anything else. There are actually 2 Voyager books waiting to be published. The one coming out in "Architects of Infinity" coming out in March it appears, the a later one called "To Lose the Earth." There is little information about that one. So that would take care of 2 of the 3 missing books if both were originally intended for 2017.

IIRC, To Lose the Earth wasn't planned to be a 2017 novel anyway, and isn't necessarily on the schedule yet anyway, it's just what Kirsten Beyer mentioned as her long-term plans for the Voyager series.